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Research expenditures on the rise
Faculty Senate told increase is occurring despite federal budget cutbacks
By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer
Investment in science and engineering is on the rise at UB, despite serious cuts in the federal research budget, Jorge José, vice president of research, told members of the Faculty Senate at Tuesday’s meeting.
Citing UB’s report to the National Science Foundation’s annual Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, José said that overall research expenditures have increased at UB, rising from $258.9 million during the 2004 fiscal year to $314.8 million in the 2007 fiscal year.
“Where we would like to be in the future is in the top half of the public AAU universities in terms of research expenditures,” he said, noting that one of UB’s top goals is to achieve national and international recognition for innovative research in its strategic-strength areas as defined by the UB 2020 comprehensive plan.
The greatest supporter of research at UB is the federal government, which provides nearly 50 percent of all research dollars, he added. Institutional investment is the second greatest source of funds—30 percent—with industrial partners and state and local funds contributing 6.8 and 4.5 percent, respectively.
In terms of federal funding, José said that more than 64 percent of UB’s total research investments come from the Department of Health and Human Services. The next greatest source of federal research grants is the Department of Defense (DOD) at 15.3 percent, followed by the National Science Foundation (NSF) at 8.8 percent.
UB’s greatest source of research funding—the National Institutes of Health—experienced a peak in support to fund research during the 2005 federal budget, he added. Other agencies, such as the NSF and DOD, also have seen declines as part of a general decrease in federal research funds—from a little more than $60 billion in 2004 to about $56 billion in 2007.
“The investment that the United States is making in research has gone down significantly,” José said, “which means it’s going to be harder to get funded, harder to increase research expenditures in the future.”
In the nonscience and engineering fields, José said the university’s research expenditures have oscillated between approximately $10 million in 2004 and $9 million in 2007. He also noted that the Graduate School of Education is attracting the largest amount of research funding in this area, while the largest decline has taken place in the Law School, where research expenditures dropped from about $2 million to $1 million during the past several years.
Institutional programs such as the UB 2020 Interdisciplinary Research Development Fund (IRDF) and UB 2020 Scholars Fund were created to help successful researchers weather periods during which outside funds are unavailable, added José, who also encouraged faculty to concentrate on interdisciplinary projects and emerging areas of investigation, such as regenerative medicine, in order to survive an increasingly competitive research environment.
“We are trying to emphasize interdisciplinary research because many of the significant problems we’re trying to solve in the 21st century require the expertise of people in different fields in order to make progress,” he said. “Problems like aging, chronic diseases, climate change and the energy problem are not going to be resolved by being a chemist or a physicist or a medical doctor. We have to have contributions from people from different areas of research and it’s being recognized by the funding agencies.”
In other business, Kathie Frier, director of wellness and work-life balance, presented a progress report on activities related to the university’s new focus on employee wellness.
In addition to programs currently in progress, such as employee discounts to area gyms and fitness centers, an on-campus Weight Watchers program and “Move It To Lose It 2008”—a faculty and staff weight loss and fitness challenge based on the NBC television show “The Biggest Loser”—Frier said the Wellness and Work-Life Balance unit is moving toward “phase two” of its operation that will strive to create a “culture of wellness” on campus through programs that encourage walking, “stress busting,” smoking cessation and disease management.
“What we’re really aiming to do is not go toward the people who are already the first ones to sign up for the corporate challenge or people who are already fit, but the people who really want to do this [but haven’t],” she said. “There’s going to be 20 percent that we’re never going to get moving, but we want to get that middle group doing it.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, a recycled paper purchasing policy, which was unanimously approved by the senate’s executive committee last month, failed to receive a similar endorsement from the full Faculty Senate. The proposal calls for all general purpose 8.5” x 11” white copier and printer paper purchased by all units within in the university to be 100 percent, postconsumer content processed chlorine-free recycled paper.
James E. Campbell, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, raised concerns about instituting an “unenforceable policy,” and also questioned whether all campus printers are equipped to handle 100 percent recycled paper without technical problems, such as paper jams.
The proposal will return to the FSEC for revision, said Robert Hoeing, chair of the Faculty Senate and associate professor of linguistics.